The magic of the landscape and the good food: a weekend at the Castle of Cortanze

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There was once a mighty medieval castle with two towers that were noticed from a distance, indicating that the travelers were on their way to Cortanze, or to Curtes Ansari, a center from which depended several funds cultivated, lying on the hills that we can admire Today the garden of the ancient manor. If we had arrived here in the Middle Ages, perhaps we could meet Mr. Anserius, from whose name the name of this dervish beautiful village of Asti. Anserius had descended into Italy with Charles the Great with other vassals loyal to the king, placed among the Lombards to control and be rewarded with benefits such as rich land confiscated from the rebels.
We have chosen this country rich in history and surrounded by spectacular scenery, where the eye can range from one hill to the green background of nature, for a weekend of pure relaxation with walks and good food. We need this experience to our friend who recently got married right here at the Castle Cortanze. Since she has praised both the location and the restaurant, we decided to visit us this place, and the choice proved As Well.
After settling in two of the twelve rooms of the castle, intimate atmosphere of a true patrician residence, we're going to discover the old town.
Of the two great towers of the castle today it remains an addition to the two towers hanging. It is said that this tower would be born in 1592 Emanuele Tesauro, a distinguished scholar and historian, author of "The Aristotelian Telescope." Over the centuries the castle was owned by the family for a long Roero. Towards the end of the nineteenth century the Roero sold the Castle and have followed different owners, including an Anglican clergyman in the sixties that made it the center of a small religious community. The Castle has also become the protagonist of a novel by Anna Maltese, whose family belonged to the late nineteenth century.
During our walk we visit the seventeenth-century parish church of Saints Peter and John, whose bell tower designs, along with the towers of the castle, the distinctive skyline Cortanze. Inside we can admire several beautiful works of art and decorations. Not far away we visit the Church of S.S. Annunziata, dating from the fourteenth century. This ancient church, rich in works of art, including the altar in polished stucco in 1741 and of traces of frescoes of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, was the parish church of the village until the construction of the present one, and then became the seat of the Confraternity of the Disciplined Beaten or White.
We'll spend the second day of our stay in the mountain biking and walking in nature, but before we decide to enjoy a tasty dinner drenched atmosphere of the Court of Roero. From the garden of the castle we admire a breathtaking sunset of a thousand colors, one of the most special attractions of Cortanze.
We settle in the charming and elegant Salon Pelletta, able to accommodate up to 250 guests, and to begin to study the menu, chat with the manager of the Castle, Mr. Happy and the chef Pierluigi Cortese Vinciguerra, who is in catering For over twenty years, and worked here since February 2010 with his help Luke Moschetta. We had already said our friend from when the restaurant is run by them, the restaurant is literally bloomed, everything is prepared fresh and pays great attention to cleanliness and food quality. "Even when it comes to banquets for hundreds of people, everything is prepared the day before to the day after. The bread and cakes, made by us, are served hot, "explains the chef. We start with the aperitif to the Castle, which is a buffet of ten different specialties, served on the old colored mirrors: an absolute delight, both for the visual for that to be enjoyed. Then we taste salmon baked with spices, served warm, a roulade fassone, or slices of rump of veal with toma in a goat veined with fresh herbs, and pumpkin flan with fondue Raschera . In addition to their goodness, no wonder the beauty of the plates, each decorated with care by artist. After the starters we choose the wave Castelmagno risotto with fine herbs and plin. We followed these early from Barolo braised larded with polenta, with rosemary potatoes and sautéed spinach with melted butter. Washed down with excellent wines from the vineyards surrounding the Asti and conclude with a sweet homemade chocolate fudge with chopped hazelnuts from Piedmont, while our friends enjoying a hazelnut semifreddo, a cut fruit and caramelized pineapple: the true delights us would envy even kings and queens!

Bertha Frances